Review: Cafe Nippon

[Content Note: Ads]

Cafe Nippon
by Kairosoft

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It really should not come as a surprise to me how much I love this game, since I love pretty much all the Kairosoft time-sink games and I love restaurant management simulation games so, so much, but good-grief-on-a-gravy-roll I love this game. I can't stop playing it.

As far as this review goes, it's going to be a slim one. The game is your usual time-sink Kairosoft fare with lots of cute cartoony graphics, more stats than you can shake a stick at, never quite enough money to go around, perfect pacing that keeps you on your toes without being overwhelming, and -- if you're like me -- it brings out your inner MinMaxer and you find yourself save scumming until you manage to recruit, yes, Minnie Max. Oh, Kairosoft, you know me too well.

Cafeteria Nipponica

So since I have very little of value to say in the form of a review, here instead is a BIG HONKING FAQ because I am just nerdy enough to write one and I could never find a comprehensive one in English that wasn't on the registered-users-only Kairosoft forums, so it might as well be me. Here are some tips, in no particular order.

1. Financing. Don't spend any money between Month 1 and Month 4. In Month 4, you pay your staff and it is always more than you expect it to be, and you do not want to be in debt and have to forgo your Month 4 ingredient gathering trip.

2. Staffing. If you can afford the $300 recruiting fee, hire someone every time "Recruit Staff" comes available and stuff them in the Break Room. There's a finite number of people in the game and you will need all of them eventually. (Some of them are far superior to others, though, so if you don't mind Save Scumming at the beginning of the game, try for Jim Maxwell, Iggy Hop, Yan Fields, Cat Kidman, Minnie Max, and Manford Cups.)

3. Staff Stats. Floor servers need speed and Walk Fast.  Kitchen cooks need cooking and Cooking Up and Research Up. Specializing based on dish type (Chinese, Japanese, Western, Snacks, Dessert) never really seemed worth it to me.

4. Staff Feeding. For the love of donuts, do not feed meals to your staff unless you have 3+ of the meal in question. Counter intuitively, a meal can either be slotted at your restaurants (of which you will have three) or fed to the staff, but not both: once that meal is consumed, you don't have it any more to slot. Apparently a meal is stored at a store location and pieces of it are served to the customers, with the Parent Meal regenerating in the freezer overnight. If a staff member eats the mothership, it's gone forever.

5. Menu Planning. Where you can gather ingredients depends on where you have open stores. Dairy and grain products are largely confined to the early areas you will later abandon (you can only have 3 stores and there are 5 locations). Seafood absolutely dominates the second half of the game, so it's a good idea to organize your menu around that. (Much to my personal sorrow.)

6. Dish Maxing. Pick a dish that you can level up early on in order to get the cash coming in as quickly as possible. Note that all dishes have caps on their taste and appeal, so you can't just pick whatever you personally like and level it to kingdom come. (See spreadsheet!)

7. Celebrity Chefs. I won't touch 'em. They're obscenely expensive to hire and maintain, and I never once needed them. At end game (Year 15, when you score the game and enter sandbox mode), I had Jim Maxwell at 714 cooking skill and 61 research points and I had my Top Class Sushi dish at $55, 847 taste, and 860 appeal. (And Iggy Pop starts out stronger than many of the celebrity chefs do!)

8. Orange Crates. Orange Crate tables (Veggie Market) are ugly. They're also $100, which means that when you spend your last thousand opening a new restaurant, you can still stuff it to the brim with tables without having to break the bank. 

And now some spreadsheets! LINK! And in less-tabular, more web-friendly form:

Exploration
Local Woods
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Udon, Recipe: Yaki Onigiri
Treasure 2 -- Recipe: Fried Rice, Table: Popular Table
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Salad, Money: 5K

Steep Hills
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Toast, Equipment: Bookshelf
Treasure 2 -- Recipe: Spaghetti, Table: Chinese Table
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Rice Omelette
Treasure 4 -- Equipment: Toy Corner

Local Farm
Treasure 1 -- Table: Pop Table
Treasure 2 -- Table: Oak Cask
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Karaage
Treasure 4 -- Recipe: Seafood Soup
Treasure 5 -- Equipment: Audio Set

Green Pasture
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Ice Cream, Table: Chinese Counter
Treasure 2 -- Dish: Omelette
Treasure 3 -- Equipment: Public Phone
Treasure 4 -- Dish: Stew, Money: 10K

Fishery
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Sauteed Chicken, Table: Standard Sofa
Treasure 2 -- Table: Red Table
Treasure 3 -- Equipment: Vending Machine, Unlocks Local Farm Treasure 3
Treasure 4 -- Table: Simple Room

Veggie Market
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Karaage, Table: Luxury Set
Treasure 2 -- Table: Orange Crate
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Bird's Nest Soup

Fish Market 
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Salad, Table: Simple Counter
Treasure 2 -- Dish: Shumai
Treasure 3 -- Table: Relaxing Sofa
Treasure 4 -- Dish: Salad
Treasure 5 -- Table: Bench

Craggy Rocks
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Grilled Fish, Recipe: Chocolate Parfait
Treasure 2 -- Table: Western Sofa
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Kid's Lunch
Treasure 4 -- Table: Dining Sofa

Fisher's House
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Grilled Fish
Treasure 2 -- Table: Arcade Game
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Steak
Treasure 4 -- Table: White Sofa

Contract Farmer
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Toast
Treasure 2 -- Equipment: Aquarium
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Tempura
Treasure 4 -- Table: Simple Sofa

Top Fish Market
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Shumai
Treasure 2 -- Table: Student Set
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Meat Stir Fry
Treasure 4 -- Table: Luxury Sofa
Treasure 5 -- Table: Japanese Set, Dish: Tuna Bowl, Money: 10 K

Associated Store
Treasure 1 -- Recipe: Nimono
Treasure 2 -- Table: Luxury Counter
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Top Grade Sushi
Treasure 4 -- Recipe: Berry Parfait

Dept. Store
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Miso Soup
Treasure 2 -- Table: Office Set
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Ikizukuri
Treasure 4 -- Dish: Corn Chowder

NY Market
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Toast
Treasure 2 -- Table: Luxury Room
Treasure 3 -- Dish: Hamburger
Treasure 4 -- Dish: Pasta Carbonara

Kairo Island
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Ice Cream
Treasure 2 -- Table: Relaxing Room
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Gratin
Treasure 4 -- Equipment: Grand Piano
Treasure 5 -- Table: Floor Cushion Set
Treasure 6 -- Equipment: Gold Kairobot

Recipes

Recipe	Base Recipe	Ingredient 1	Ingredient 2	Category	Taste	Appeal
Ankake Yakisoba	Yakisoba	Tasty Fish
BBQ Pork Ramen	Ramen	Top Class Pork	Garlic	Chinese	480	380
Beef Curry	Curry and Rice	Marbled Beef		Western	580	600
Beef Stew	Stew	Tomato	Marbled Beef	Western	420	380
Berry Parfait	Parfait	Strawberry		Dessert	320	220
Bird's Nest Soup	Shark Fin Soup	Caviar	Foie Gras	Chinese	999	999
Caesar Salad	Salad	Lettuce	Aged Cheese	Western	250	240
Champon	Udon	Chinese Cabbage		Japanese	250	120
Chicken Bowl	Rice	Boned Chicken		Japanese	180	120
Chilled Noodles	Ramen	Mild Vinegar	Hot Spices	Chinese	220	120
Chocolate Parfait	Parfait	Chocolate		Dessert	250	280
Combo Ramen	Ramen	Soy Sauce	Fresh Eggs	Chinese	250	220
Corn Chowder	Seafood Soup	Sweet Corn		Western	180	100
Crab Fried Rice	Fried Rice	King Crab	Mild Vinegar	Chinese	360	350
Croquette	Karaage	Top Class Pork	Northern Potato	Western	280	280
Curry and Rice	Fried Rice	Hot Spice		Western	100	100
Doughnut	Ice Cream	Flour		Dessert	280	280
Eel Bowl	Chicken Bowl	Tasty Fish	Secret Sauce	Japanese	380	450
French Fries	Toast	Northern Potato		Snacks	100	100
Fried Rice	Rice	Carrot		Chinese	120	80
Fried Udon	Udon	Soy Sauce	Sweet Corn	Japanese	160	100
Gold Ice Cream	Ice Cream	Gold Flakes		Dessert	999	999
Gratin	Croquette	Thick Butter	Fresh Milk	Western	420	480
Grilled Fish	- Craggy Rocks -			Japanese	100	100
Gyoza	Shumai	Green Onion	Ginger	Chinese	250	280
Hamburger	Toast	Marbled Beef		Snacks	250	150
Hamburger Steak	Sauteed Chicken	Marbled Beef	Carrot	Western	520	500
Hayashi Rice	Curry and Rice	Tomato		Western	280	240
Hot Pot	Seafood Soup	Chinese Cabbage	Boned Chicken	Japanese	320	220
Ice Cream	- Green Pasture -			Dessert	100	100
Ikizukuri	Sashimi	Sea Bream	Squid	Japanese	999	999
Indian Curry	Curry and Rice	Flour	Herbs	Western	400	320
Japanese Pasta	Spaghetti	Mushroom	Spinach	Western	280	240
Kaiseki Cuisine	Sashimi	Tasty Fish	Matsutake	Japanese	999	999
Karaage	Toast	Boned Chicken		Snacks	190	75
Kid's Lunch	Hamburger Steak	Marbled Beef	Secret Sauce	Western	999	999
Meat Gyoza	Gyoza	Top Class Pork		Chinese	210	150
Meat Sauce Pasta	Spaghetti	Top Class Pork	Tomato	Western	380	420
Meat Stir Fry	Veggie Stir Fry	Top Class Pork	Kikurage	Chinese	320	220
Minestrone Soup	Corn Chowder	Tomato	Onion	Western	480	480
Miso Ramen	Ramen	Special Miso	Sweet Corn	Chinese	237	280
Miso Soup	Seafood Soup	Tofu		Japanese	100	100
Nimono	Veggie Stir Fry	Pumpkin	Daikon Radish	Japanese	250	240
Okonomiyaki	Shumai	Flour	Secret Sauce	Japanese	320	220
Omelette	Rice	Fresh Eggs		Western	100	80
Onigiri	Rice	Dried Seaweed		Snacks	100	100
Parfait	Ice Cream	Cherry		Dessert	250	100
Pasta Carbonara	Spaghetti	Fresh Milk	Fresh Eggs	Western	250	220
Pizza	Toast	Aged Cheese	Top Class Pork	Western	280	220
Pizza Toast	Toast	Tomato		Snacks	200	150
Pork Bowl	Chicken Bowl	Top Class Pork	Onion	Japanese	200	160
Pork Bun	Shumai	Top Class Pork		Snacks	380	320
Pork Cutlet	Karaage	Top Class Pork	Cabbage	Japanese	250	220
Pudding	Ice Cream	Fresh Eggs		Dessert	220	120
Ramen	Udon	Boned Chicken		Chinese	100	100
Rice				Snacks	60	150
Rice Omelette	Omelette	Organic Rice		Western	200	150
Rice Porridge	Hot Pot	Organic Rice		Japanese	150	120
Salad	Toast	Lettuce		Western	120	55
Sashimi	Grilled Fish	Tasty Fish	Soy Sauce	Japanese	480	410
Sauteed Chicken				Western	100	100
Seafood Gyoza	Gyoza	Top Class Shrimp	Cabbage	Chinese	402	350
Seafood Salad	Salad	Octopus		Western	220	120
Seafood Soup	Udon	Secret Sauce		Japanese	80	60
Shark Fin Soup	Seafood Soup	Tasty Fish	Secret Sauce	Chinese	420	420
Shumai	Rice	Top Class Pork		Chinese	65	100
Soba	- Received from Hina upon eating Crab Fried Rice (?) -				100	100
Spaghetti	Udon	Herbs		Western	180	80
Steak	Sauteed Chicken	Boned Chicken	Green Onion	Western	330	300
Stew	Corn Chowder	Boned Chicken	Northern Potato	Western	250	280
Sumo Stew	Hot Pot	Top Class Pork	Prize Mushroom	Japanese	480	350
Takoyaki	Pork Bun	Flour	Octopus	Snacks	280	280
Tempura	Croquette	Top Class Shrimp	Tasty Fish	Japanese	450	450
Toast	Rice	Flour		Snacks	100	65
Top Grade Sushi	Sashimi	Organic Rice	Soy Sauce	Japanese	999	999
Tuna Bowl	Rice	Tasty Fish	Soy Sauce	Japanese	420	420
Udon	- Local Woods -			Japanese	110	100
Veggie Stir Fry	Salad	Carrot	Cabbage	Chinese	250	120
Yaki Onigiri	Onigiri	Soy Sauce		Snacks	100	100
Yakiniku	Hot Pot	Marbled Beef	Secret Sauce	Japanese	800	800
Yakisoba	Soba	Cabbage			131	65
Yakitori	Hamburger Steak	Top Class Shrimp	Organic Rice	Japanese	480	350